In Focus: Future Reserves 2020 A Consultation PaperThis article is featured in the latest In Focus.
Future Reserves 2020 review
The Future Reserves 2020 study (FR20) is an independent review of the UK Reserve Forces. Commissioned by the Prime Minister in October 2010 as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the aim of the study was to explore options to ensure that the UK Reserve Forces are correctly structured and supported to meet future challenges out to the year 2020 and beyond.
The Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) report was published in July 2011 and since then the Ministry of Defence (MOD) have been working on how to implement the recommendations in the report.
The main recommendations from the FR20 report which can affect employers are:
- The Reserve element will form a larger proportion of the whole force, will be an integral part of it and will increase in trained strength.
- Defence is moving to build relationships with employers based on partnering and giving greater predictability and certainty as to when Reservists will be required for training or deployment.
- Military service gives employers better qualified staff with additional skills. To support this, the MOD seeks to build partnering initiatives to identify and better maximise opportunities to develop specialised skills such as medical or cyber and for training which mutually benefit the employer, Defence and the individual.
Read the latest news about future changes to the Reserves Forces and FR20 review.
Increase to Reserves trained strength
Under FR20 the Reserve element will form a larger proportion of the UK's Armed Forces and trained strength will increase by 2018. Find out more about the current and future UK Reserve Forces statistics.